Smart home energy management systems (SHEMS) enable households to play an active role in the ongo... more Smart home energy management systems (SHEMS) enable households to play an active role in the ongoing energy transition. We conceptualize sensory user experience and analyze what sensory experience in relation to SHEMS consists of. Sensory user experience is critical in the design and adoption of ubiquitous home technologies. Yet, it has been poorly studied in Information Systems (IS) research. Sensory ethnographic approach was applied in the framework of value-sensitive design in the study of 21 families. The findings suggest sensory user experience intermingled with energy consumption in homes consists of intertwined sensory and affective factors Interviewees' quotations and mental maps show home is a social and sensory place and sensory user experience is a social, negotiated, shared experience. Different parts of home impose different requirements for sensory user experience, and sensations of warmth, view, scents, sounds and light are relevant in it. The comfort of the nucleus of home is not to be compromised, yet there are opportunities for energy management. When sensory experience in home is understood, SHEMS may be designed and used to improve sensory experience. The paper also contributes to the methodological discussion on sensory ethnography in value-sensitive design and energy technology research.
Ubiquitous computing continues to transform our lives, including our homes and leisure activities... more Ubiquitous computing continues to transform our lives, including our homes and leisure activities. Smart home energy management system (SHEMS) are one example of such a technology. It connects homes to a smart grid and may increase the use of renewable energy by directing the demand to off-peak hours and reducing the overall energy demand. User values of such a technology may be critical in the acquisition, adoption and assimilation of the technology. This research fills the gap of understanding user values of SHEMS users. We studied new, potential and experienced users of SHEMS and their values. Sensory ethnography interview method was applied in the value sensitive design empirical investigation to elicit key user values of SHEMS in 28 families. The users relate to SHEMS values such as economic gains, environmental sustainability, comfort and security. Some SHEMS users' values such as stimulation, creativity, and autonomy, can be in conflict with the values of other family members, and with those which are currently built in the SHEMS technologies. The recognized values of SHEMS stakeholders act as an input for the design of smart grid and smart home services and products. In addition, the research contributes to the theory-building of smart home technology user research.
Abstract Home energy management systems (HEMS) connect homes to a smart grid and may increase the... more Abstract Home energy management systems (HEMS) connect homes to a smart grid and may increase the overall use of renewable energy by directing energy demand to off-peak hours and increasing energy conservation. However, the promised changes in electricity consumption have yet to be proven in real-life experiments. We therefore analysed the changes in electricity consumption, daily consumption profiles, and number of low and high consumption hours after installing HEMS in 10 Finnish households. These changes were examined in the context of the values related to energy use in each household, which were derived from semi-structured interviews. In the real-life experiment, we showed that the HEMS reduced the total consumption of electricity in the winter months by up to 30%, shifted the consumption to off-peak hours and decreased the number of high consumption hours. These changes occurred even in the homes that valued comfort over savings or ecological sustainability. Nevertheless, the levels of energy conservation varied greatly between the households and between months in the same homes.
Smart home energy management systems (SHEMS) enable households to play an active role in the ongo... more Smart home energy management systems (SHEMS) enable households to play an active role in the ongoing energy transition. We conceptualize sensory user experience and analyze what sensory experience in relation to SHEMS consists of. Sensory user experience is critical in the design and adoption of ubiquitous home technologies. Yet, it has been poorly studied in Information Systems (IS) research. Sensory ethnographic approach was applied in the framework of value-sensitive design in the study of 21 families. The findings suggest sensory user experience intermingled with energy consumption in homes consists of intertwined sensory and affective factors Interviewees' quotations and mental maps show home is a social and sensory place and sensory user experience is a social, negotiated, shared experience. Different parts of home impose different requirements for sensory user experience, and sensations of warmth, view, scents, sounds and light are relevant in it. The comfort of the nucleus of home is not to be compromised, yet there are opportunities for energy management. When sensory experience in home is understood, SHEMS may be designed and used to improve sensory experience. The paper also contributes to the methodological discussion on sensory ethnography in value-sensitive design and energy technology research.
Proceedings of the 18th International Conference on Mobile and Ubiquitous Multimedia, 2019
Ubiquitous computing continues to transform our lives, including our homes and leisure activities... more Ubiquitous computing continues to transform our lives, including our homes and leisure activities. Smart home energy management system (SHEMS) are one example of such a technology. It connects homes to a smart grid and may increase the use of renewable energy by directing the demand to off-peak hours and reducing the overall energy demand. User values of such a technology may be critical in the acquisition, adoption and assimilation of the technology. This research fills the gap of understanding user values of SHEMS users. We studied new, potential and experienced users of SHEMS and their values. Sensory ethnography interview method was applied in the value sensitive design empirical investigation to elicit key user values of SHEMS in 28 families. The users relate to SHEMS values such as economic gains, environmental sustainability, comfort and security. Some SHEMS users' values such as stimulation, creativity, and autonomy, can be in conflict with the values of other family members, and with those which are currently built in the SHEMS technologies. The recognized values of SHEMS stakeholders act as an input for the design of smart grid and smart home services and products. In addition, the research contributes to the theory-building of smart home technology user research.
Abstract Home energy management systems (HEMS) connect homes to a smart grid and may increase the... more Abstract Home energy management systems (HEMS) connect homes to a smart grid and may increase the overall use of renewable energy by directing energy demand to off-peak hours and increasing energy conservation. However, the promised changes in electricity consumption have yet to be proven in real-life experiments. We therefore analysed the changes in electricity consumption, daily consumption profiles, and number of low and high consumption hours after installing HEMS in 10 Finnish households. These changes were examined in the context of the values related to energy use in each household, which were derived from semi-structured interviews. In the real-life experiment, we showed that the HEMS reduced the total consumption of electricity in the winter months by up to 30%, shifted the consumption to off-peak hours and decreased the number of high consumption hours. These changes occurred even in the homes that valued comfort over savings or ecological sustainability. Nevertheless, the levels of energy conservation varied greatly between the households and between months in the same homes.
Smart home energy management systems (SHEMS) enable households to play an active role in the ongo... more Smart home energy management systems (SHEMS) enable households to play an active role in the ongoing energy transition. We conceptualize sensory user experience and analyze what sensory experience in relation to SHEMS consists of. Sensory user experience is critical in the design and adoption of ubiquitous home technologies. Yet, it has been poorly studied in Information Systems (IS) research. Sensory ethnographic approach was applied in the framework of value-sensitive design in the study of 21 families. The findings suggest sensory user experience intermingled with energy consumption in homes consists of intertwined sensory and affective factors Interviewees' quotations and mental maps show home is a social and sensory place and sensory user experience is a social, negotiated, shared experience. Different parts of home impose different requirements for sensory user experience, and sensations of warmth, view, scents, sounds and light are relevant in it. The comfort of the nucleus of home is not to be compromised, yet there are opportunities for energy management. When sensory experience in home is understood, SHEMS may be designed and used to improve sensory experience. The paper also contributes to the methodological discussion on sensory ethnography in value-sensitive design and energy technology research.
Ubiquitous computing continues to transform our lives, including our homes and leisure activities... more Ubiquitous computing continues to transform our lives, including our homes and leisure activities. Smart home energy management system (SHEMS) are one example of such a technology. It connects homes to a smart grid and may increase the use of renewable energy by directing the demand to off-peak hours and reducing the overall energy demand. User values of such a technology may be critical in the acquisition, adoption and assimilation of the technology. This research fills the gap of understanding user values of SHEMS users. We studied new, potential and experienced users of SHEMS and their values. Sensory ethnography interview method was applied in the value sensitive design empirical investigation to elicit key user values of SHEMS in 28 families. The users relate to SHEMS values such as economic gains, environmental sustainability, comfort and security. Some SHEMS users' values such as stimulation, creativity, and autonomy, can be in conflict with the values of other family members, and with those which are currently built in the SHEMS technologies. The recognized values of SHEMS stakeholders act as an input for the design of smart grid and smart home services and products. In addition, the research contributes to the theory-building of smart home technology user research.
Abstract Home energy management systems (HEMS) connect homes to a smart grid and may increase the... more Abstract Home energy management systems (HEMS) connect homes to a smart grid and may increase the overall use of renewable energy by directing energy demand to off-peak hours and increasing energy conservation. However, the promised changes in electricity consumption have yet to be proven in real-life experiments. We therefore analysed the changes in electricity consumption, daily consumption profiles, and number of low and high consumption hours after installing HEMS in 10 Finnish households. These changes were examined in the context of the values related to energy use in each household, which were derived from semi-structured interviews. In the real-life experiment, we showed that the HEMS reduced the total consumption of electricity in the winter months by up to 30%, shifted the consumption to off-peak hours and decreased the number of high consumption hours. These changes occurred even in the homes that valued comfort over savings or ecological sustainability. Nevertheless, the levels of energy conservation varied greatly between the households and between months in the same homes.
Smart home energy management systems (SHEMS) enable households to play an active role in the ongo... more Smart home energy management systems (SHEMS) enable households to play an active role in the ongoing energy transition. We conceptualize sensory user experience and analyze what sensory experience in relation to SHEMS consists of. Sensory user experience is critical in the design and adoption of ubiquitous home technologies. Yet, it has been poorly studied in Information Systems (IS) research. Sensory ethnographic approach was applied in the framework of value-sensitive design in the study of 21 families. The findings suggest sensory user experience intermingled with energy consumption in homes consists of intertwined sensory and affective factors Interviewees' quotations and mental maps show home is a social and sensory place and sensory user experience is a social, negotiated, shared experience. Different parts of home impose different requirements for sensory user experience, and sensations of warmth, view, scents, sounds and light are relevant in it. The comfort of the nucleus of home is not to be compromised, yet there are opportunities for energy management. When sensory experience in home is understood, SHEMS may be designed and used to improve sensory experience. The paper also contributes to the methodological discussion on sensory ethnography in value-sensitive design and energy technology research.
Proceedings of the 18th International Conference on Mobile and Ubiquitous Multimedia, 2019
Ubiquitous computing continues to transform our lives, including our homes and leisure activities... more Ubiquitous computing continues to transform our lives, including our homes and leisure activities. Smart home energy management system (SHEMS) are one example of such a technology. It connects homes to a smart grid and may increase the use of renewable energy by directing the demand to off-peak hours and reducing the overall energy demand. User values of such a technology may be critical in the acquisition, adoption and assimilation of the technology. This research fills the gap of understanding user values of SHEMS users. We studied new, potential and experienced users of SHEMS and their values. Sensory ethnography interview method was applied in the value sensitive design empirical investigation to elicit key user values of SHEMS in 28 families. The users relate to SHEMS values such as economic gains, environmental sustainability, comfort and security. Some SHEMS users' values such as stimulation, creativity, and autonomy, can be in conflict with the values of other family members, and with those which are currently built in the SHEMS technologies. The recognized values of SHEMS stakeholders act as an input for the design of smart grid and smart home services and products. In addition, the research contributes to the theory-building of smart home technology user research.
Abstract Home energy management systems (HEMS) connect homes to a smart grid and may increase the... more Abstract Home energy management systems (HEMS) connect homes to a smart grid and may increase the overall use of renewable energy by directing energy demand to off-peak hours and increasing energy conservation. However, the promised changes in electricity consumption have yet to be proven in real-life experiments. We therefore analysed the changes in electricity consumption, daily consumption profiles, and number of low and high consumption hours after installing HEMS in 10 Finnish households. These changes were examined in the context of the values related to energy use in each household, which were derived from semi-structured interviews. In the real-life experiment, we showed that the HEMS reduced the total consumption of electricity in the winter months by up to 30%, shifted the consumption to off-peak hours and decreased the number of high consumption hours. These changes occurred even in the homes that valued comfort over savings or ecological sustainability. Nevertheless, the levels of energy conservation varied greatly between the households and between months in the same homes.
Uploads
Papers by Sanna Tuomela